Keep

The Keep is a bit of an overlooked gem in Guildford. It is situated in Castle Street close (not surprisingly perhaps) to Guildford Castle – so a little south of the main centre of Guildford.

The Keep is a single room pub and the interior has a modern feel with a wooden floor and bare brick walls. There appears to be another smaller room out the back. It’s only when the smokers light up that you realise that it’s actually the small courtyard garden. On my first couple of visits to the pub I swear I hadn’t noticed that. The interior photo shows the courtyard garden off the back of the pub.

From a real ale perspective the main reason for visiting the Keep is that they stock beers from the nearby Surrey Hills Brewery. As I’m writing the notes for this post the Shere Drop is tasting lovely. Don’t expect a massive selection of beers at the Keep though as there are three hand pumps, one of which is usually reserved for a real cider.

Inside the Keep in Guildford

They don’t sell a lot of real ale and I think having one or two excellent beers is better than having many tired tasting varieties.

On my last visit I ate here for the first time. I had a burger with salad for £4.50 which was pretty good, but maybe would not have satisfied those with larger appetites.

The sad thing about my visits to this pub is that hardly anyone ever seems to go there. As I write these notes it’s 7:30 on a Thursday evening I am the only customer apart from the wargamers who have retreated upstairs. Why are the good pubs in Guildford so overlooked?

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